Archive for December, 2010

My Favorite Spam

This past fall, I encountered a problem that prevented me from posting pictures on my site. My outstanding programmer, Taso Prantalos, fixed the problem by upgrading my WordPress blogging system. But it brings an unfortunate side effect of opening up my site to a regular flood of comments, most of which are spam. I’ve gotten pretty good at identifying which ones are spam by the pattern of vague references, broken English, overt flattery and totally unrelated comments that usually pitch other products.

Here is a sample of some of the best spam of 2010:

TOTALLY UNRELATED COMMENTS PITCHING OTHER PRODUCTS:

Substantially, the post is actually the sweetest topic on curing acne naturally. I concur with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your future updates.

*****

I am all for hitting the proverbial reset button, declaring possession to imply full ownership. All mortgages are forgiven. Starting…. now!

*****

Looking up to the time and endeavour you put into the web log and consummate information you provide! [BRAND NAME PRODUCT inserted with weblink] I will bookmark the weblog and also have my kids jibe up here much . Thumbs up! [2 more BRAND NAME PRODUCTS with weblinks].

*****

It all depends on what you want really. If you have to have full coverage, it’s going to be a lot more expensive than if you just want liability coverage. Most insurance companies don’t differentiate between a stock and “modified” motor unless the modifications involve nitrous/supercharger/turbo. They mainly just care what make and model the car is, and how many cylinders it has. I would say that with the Camaro’s reputation as a sports car, the AMX would be cheaper to insure.

(on Scooby Doo: the Mystery Begins blog, about not assuming the worst of people you meet.)      

*****

OVERT FLATTERY:

Please get a newsletter so I can keep up with your site easier.

(This poster didn’t grasp the meaning of “Weekly Blog”.)

*****

Hello, this is a genuinelyremarkable blog post. In theory I’d wish to compose like this as well – taking time and real work to create a great write-up.!. but what can I say.!!!. I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done. Thank You

Hello, this is a genuinelysplendid article. In theory I’d prefer to create like this as well – taking time and real work to create a great article.!. but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never appear to obtain something done. Thank You

Hello, this is unquestionably a certainlyamazing publish. In principle I’d prefer to write like this as well – taking time and genuine energy to make a great post.!!!. but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to obtain anything done. Thank You

Hello, this is unquestionably a principallyremarkable submit. In principle I’d liketo generate like this too – taking time and real effort to make a brilliant article.!!!. but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to acquire anything done. Thank You

Hello, this is a certainlyoutstanding put up. In concept I’d prefer to produce like this too – taking time and real work to make a brilliant write-up.!. but what can I say.!. I procrastinate alot and never appear to get something done. Thank You

(See the pattern? I continue to get this template comment at least once a day.)

*****

VAGUE REFERENCES:

Excellent post Darragh! and thanks a million for your mention, I’m seriously honoured!

(on Brady Bunch blog, about getting along with family. I have no idea who Darragh is.)

*****

Man o man this blog should NOT be read when drunk

(on Brady Bunch blog, about getting along with family.)

*****

While I still like this post, I think there was an mistake close to the beginning of the fourth paragraph.

While I really like this post, I think there was an mistake close to the end of the third paragraph.

While I still like this article, I think there was an spelling error close to the end of the first paragraph.

(You people read NOTHING.)

*****

lol i know right

(on Happy Days blog, about the dangers of promoting yourself as a sex object through phone “sexting”)

*****

BROKEN ENGLISH:

it!|s so great to check people back :] Have writing a blog, we all love it !

*****

Your blog is very out of the ordinary. I am loving all of the in a row you are sharing with each one!

*****

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*****

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(And also with you! And in this holiday season, “Outstanding upon us, every one!”)

Friday, December 31st, 2010

COMEDY No Comments

2010 Highlights! part 1

January Highlights!

2010 started off with a Monthly Feature on the film, “Mr. Destiny”, reminding us that our past choices might bring us a life we desire, but only at the cost of the one we’ve already achieved.

Weekly Blogs talked about establishing genuine unity and teamwork in “The New Adventures of Flash Gordon”, which included YouTube links to the TV cartoon series intro and to Queen’s title song from the live-action movie. Remember, the coolest way to view them is to open both and mute the TV cartoon intro, then watch the intro while listening to Queen’s song at full volume!

We also were challenged to step out into something new through the film, “Julie & Julia”.

Other blogs took on a country-western theme, with Barbara Mandrell’s “I Was Country (When Country Wasn’t Cool)” about staying true to ourselves, regardless of the fads that surround us. We also found new hope through Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home”, for persevering through difficult times with an eye to the future, and we learned from Christian comedian Dennis Swanberg how to keep an argument from escalating into ridiculous actions!

February Highlights!

We celebrated Valentine’s Day throughout the month with Weekly Blogs and a Monthly Feature about finding and keeping healthy relationships! Our Monthly Feature on the film, “Fireproof”, demonstrated how to persistently fight for your relationship through humility, kindness, and persevering love.

Click here for an official trailer on YouTube!

Weekly Blogs talked about determining whether someone genuinely love you for who you are, in “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”, and whether they’re willing to return a show of affection, in “I Want You to Want Me“.

In addition, our “What’s New?” page made mention of a new book by Lori Gottlieb, about setting realistic expectations when searching for a future mate, called Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, while another update highlighted the film premiere of “Furious Love”, a documentary about God’s power and love being displayed to people in places where God is least expected to show up.

Another “What’s New?” entry pointed out Four of the Best Sayings for maintaining loving relationships, pointed out by my wise mom. And it referred to the Weekly Blog about watching our words and their deep impact, “You’ve Got Mail”.

Finally, another Blog was contributed by missionary friends Woody & Su Roland, who oversee several missionaries serving throughout Latin America, about a historic example of persistent love in Dear Bess: the Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, Part 1 and Part 2.

March Highlights!

Our Monthly Feature on the movie, “Up”, talked about learning to accept changes in life. By living in harmony with changes, we can find new adventures in life rather than trying to re-live old ones.

Weekly Blogs discussed how to recognize and appreciate true lifelong friends in “Family Matters”. We were also challenged us to consider whether we value others more than ourselves in “Dark Knight”, and whether faith really makes a difference in people’s lives, in “Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows”.

Finally, the film, “Guess Who” showed us how to survive the rough ride of racism and discrimination by knowing who we are and who’s standing by us, instead of responding to the criticism of bigots.

April Highlights!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We know Abby did!

April was a month of war and heroism, considering the sacrifices made by both soldiers and missionaries to serve others in need.

The Monthly Feature discussed the value of making sacrifices to help others, showing how small changes can have a lasting impact, in “Rambo”.

Weekly Blogs also covered different aspects of the movie, about learning how to accept yourself enough to find peace in “Rambo” Part 1: “Coming Home” and “Rambo” Part 2: “The Anvil”.

An excerpt from The Missionary Part 1 and Part 2 by William Carmichael and David Lambert showed the danger of trying to solve big problems too quickly, and losing sight of your real purpose in the world.

Huey Lewis and the News paid tribute to Vietnam veterans, inspiring us to honor those who serve.

And Ricky Gervais and Elmo demonstrated how NOT to help people get a good night’s sleep!

The “What’s New?” segment spotlighted the Hutaree militia, a group of so-called Christians fighting wars without listening to authority, in “Backward, Christian Soldiers!” Other segments highlighted Andrew Pogany, a soldier who used his own negative experience with post-traumatic stress disorder to help other suffering soldiers to receive proper benefits. A final segment questioned the wisdom of punishing local heroes, under the same system that rewards criminals who get injured during their crimes.

Finally, “The King’s Mouse” – the children’s story co-written by me and my wife, Nicki, is now available to read online at the Clubhouse, Jr. website.

May Highlights!

With our first Weekly Blog’s spotlight on Mother’s Day, “Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends” showed how mothers of adopted children can help them find answers about their birth mothers without feeling threatened. Because their natural birth parents are part of who the child is.

Other Weekly Blogs discussed how to be truly “politically correct” by changing the way we think about people who are different from ourselves, in “The Pink Panther 2″. We explored the meaning of honesty and serving as a reliable witness in “The Informant!”

Finally, we discussed how to seek faith in times of crisis and in times of peace, with the novel, Gunner’s Run.

In our Monthly Feature, Handy Manny showed how to work at finding solutions that meet everyone’s needs.

And we announced opportunities for early registration for the Character Entertainment Creative Writing Class that started in September, along with the Short Story Contest!  which offered people the chance to win a full year of free lessons in the Creative Writing Class meeting in Elgin, Illinois and to have their winning story posted here in the “What’s New?” section of characterent.com!

June Highlights!

June’s Monthly Feature focused on staying true to our values, rather than selling out for the “right price”, in Stephen Baldacci’s thriller, The Winner.

Weekly Blogs talked about sticking to your marriage commitment, though thick and thin, warts and all, in “Monsters vs. Aliens”.

“The Shootist” challenged us to show compassion for others, instead of holding all of their past sins against them, while “The Karate Kid” urged us to honor our leaders by learning to grow up into leaders ourselves.

And “Friends” reminded us not to bet anything that we can’t afford to lose!

I also attended the Write-to-Publish conference, where I met up with old friends and discovered new writing opportunities!

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Abby, ACTION-ADVENTURE, BOOKS, CARTOON/COMIC, Children's, Christian, COMEDY, Contest, DRAMA, FAMILY, FANTASY, Friends, HIGHLIGHTS, Holiday, HORROR, MOVIES, MUSIC/MUSICAL, MYSTERY/THRILLER, Nicki, ROMANCE, SCIENCE FICTION, SPORTS, SUPERHERO, SUPERNATURAL, TELEVISION/TV SERIES, WAR/MILITARY, WESTERN, Writing No Comments

2010 Highlights! part 2

July

The Monthly Feature for July focused on the difference between pride in one’s accomplishment and outright arrogance, the assumption that one is simply smarter, more talented, or more skilled than everyone else. In “Rope”, two college graduates believe they’ve achieved superiority over others in life … by murdering one of their friends. Until their old professor arrives to expose their evil scheme, and their false pride over pulling it off.

Randall Allen Dunn announced his new Twitter page, with a special offer for Twitter users still wishing to enter the Short Story Contest!

Weekly Blogs featured several links to 4-year old Abby on YouTube:

… showing off her dance moves to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone”, for a blog about wearing out our welcome by calling our friends too often instead of respecting their time;

… performing in her dance recital that I was able to attend, unlike the father in “Hook”, who nearly let his busy-ness rob him of his family time;

… and longing for a cookie in the first of two Blogs on “Bill Cosby, Himself”, in which he discusses the less-than-innocent nature of children, in The Sin Nature, and then the dangers of trying to enjoy yourself with self-destructive habits and addictions, in Partying ’til You Drop.

The month concluded with a look at Dean Koontz’ thriller, The Good Guy, exposing the contrast between those who seek to help others and those who only help themselves.

August

This past summer, I started reading Chantel Hobbs’ book, Never Say Diet, about how she went from weighing over 300 pounds to becoming a marathoner and fitness instructor. It taught me how to make small, permanent changes to my life, which I discussed in Part 1 of the 2-part Weekly Blog, “Changes You Can Live With”.

 

In Part 2, an excerpt from Hobbs’ book, “When Was Your Last Peak Moment?”, challenged us to challenge ourselves every day with a new goal, and live life inspired to reach for something higher.

In the “What’s New?” section, I got a visit from Thom Reese and his wife, Kathy, who are celebrating the publication of their new audio books with Speaking Volumes!

I also commented on the shocking massacre of ten aid workers in Afghanistan, and the even more shocking response of some critics that criticize anyone they suspect of sharing their religious beliefs with people who disagree, in “While the Taliban are no angels …”

We considered the price that actual missionaries pay in such situations, and the long-term results of their sacrifices, in the blog, “The End of the Spear”.

And we remembered those in active military service, and the families who struggle on without them at home, in “Hannah Montana Forever”. The blog included a link to Hannah Montana’s tribute to military families, who got the chance to send greetings to their loved ones in the armed forces.

The Monthly Feature on “Marley and Me” reminded us that it’s easy to get discouraged by focusing on what we don’t have, and easy to miss the joy of the life we have with the ones we love.

And finally, we announced the winner of the Short Story Contest and a year of free Creative Writing Class lessons: Nazli Mohyuddin, with her children’s story, “The Frog King and the Cricket”!

 

September

September’s Monthly Feature, “The Blind Side”, encouraged us to reach out to those who come from different backgrounds and have lived lives completely unlike our own. Doing so helps us to enrich our own lives as well as those of the other person, and surprises us with better relationships than we could have ever dreamed possible.

In Weekly Blogs, “Flywheel” reminded us that others are watching what we do to determine what kind of people we really are, even if we’re not aware of it! The John Wayne film, “Red River”, urged us to appreciate the people who care most about us and will be our biggest supporters, so long as we don’t put our own ambitions above our relationship with them.

In a similar vein, Paula Cole’s song, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”, reminded men that one of the most important ways to protect our families is to lighten their work load, by sharing in simple household chores.

In “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”, a grieving woman learned that forgiveness is worth far more than “justice” that only amounts to a sense of personal revenge. Finally, the C.S. Lewis biographical film, “Shadowlands”, taught us to enjoy the time we have with our loved ones, even if that time is now a memory.

October

The Monthly Feature, “The Book of Eli”, showed us that a world without faith isn’t all that atheists think it would be. Faith breeds hope, and doubt brings disorder – survival of the fittest among a gang of armed bullies. Without people of faith, the world ultimately becomes a much crueler and more callous place – one that even the doubters wouldn’t enjoy living in.In October blogs, we learned from “Kit Kittredge – An American Girl” that it’s possible to get through hard economic times, if we’re determined to get creative and humble ourselves to do what needs to be done. Especially when we recognize that many people have survived far worse circumstances – such as the Great Depression!

“War of the Worlds” showed us that it’s easy for us to be defeated by enemies when we’re already prepared to go to war with our own family and neighbors, and “Kindergarten” taught us to preserve things that are precious, including relationships, if we don’t want to see them decay.

Finally, Richard Matheson’s classic horror story, I Am Legend, demonstrated that fear can keep us from tackling an overwhelming problem. But by taking the time to work through it with persistence, we can find the solution we need to survive.

November

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

I am the master of my fate.

I am the captain of my soul.

“Invictus”, the Monthly Feature, spurred us on to embrace a better future for ourselves, our communities, and even our nation. Instead of following the natural impulse to hate those who persecute us, Nelson Mandela inspired a South African rugby team, his presidential staff, and a country of doubters to put aside their bitterness and learn to move forward. Forgiveness became his power and wisdom to lead people in a new direction together. The same power and wisdom that can lead people like Rachelle Friedman, in a recent What’s New? segment, to move on with her life after a tragic accident instead of pointing fingers at others for her loss.

In Weekly Blogs, “Honeymoon in Vegas” warned us not to be suckered by the line of a smooth-talking schmoozer. If their promises of undying love sound too good to be true, they probably are!

In an excerpt from his new book, Decision Points, former president George W. Bush reveals how he came to understand that faith is not really about self-improvement, but about denying oneself.

“The Partridge Family” taught us how to have a healthy mid-life crisis, embracing new plans without rejecting everything we’ve already achieved!

Finally, “Enchanted” urged us to focus on the postive aspects of marriage rather than its momentary problems, in order to build a better life together!

December

The Monthly Feature, Beauty and the Beast: the Enchanted Christmas, reminded us to celebrate Christmas as a time of renewed hope, rather than squelching our chances to share in that hope.

In Weekly Blogs, Are We There Yet? warned us against allowing the family tragedies of the past to keep us from enjoying our present and our future. And the movie, “Elf”, reminded us that it’s better to approach life with joyful expectation than “practical” grumpiness.

The Little Drummer Boy encouraged us that we all have something to give to others, even if it’s not the “coolest” or most expensive toy, as I described my plans to build Abby an invisible plane.

This blog also presented lots of fun links to funny and nostalgic commercials for toys, cartoons and movies, along with a link to Abby’s performance of “The Little Drummer Boy” with children from Life Church!

Finally, “Barbie in a Christmas Carol” reminded us that joining in the world’s selfishness only pits us against our closest friends and ultimately leaves us lonely, whereas a generous heart is worth trading in all the “success” we can dream of!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful year and I look forward to a fantastic year with you in 2011!

- RAD

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Abby, ACTION-ADVENTURE, AUDIOBOOK, BOOKS, CARTOON/COMIC, Children's, Christian, COMEDY, Contest, DRAMA, FAMILY, FANTASY, Friends, HIGHLIGHTS, Holiday, HORROR, MOVIES, MUSIC/MUSICAL, MYSTERY/THRILLER, Nicki, ROMANCE, SCIENCE FICTION, SPORTS, TELEVISION/TV SERIES, WAR/MILITARY, WESTERN, Writing No Comments

Unless you’re fat …

Yesterday on the way to church, my wife’s seatbelt kept locking. At a stoplight, Nicki unfastened it to try to adjust it, and our four-year old asked what she was doing. “We normally don’t take off our seatbelt,” Nicki explained. “But sometimes you have to stop the car to fix it, if it’s too tight.”

Abby replied, ”Unless you’re fat, and you like tight things.”

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Abby, COMEDY, FAMILY, Nicki No Comments

Retro-blog of 1970′s toys, commercials & cartoons! Plus Abby & Life Church kids sing “The Little Drummer Boy”!

Check the new Weekly Blog on “The Little Drummer Boy”, with over a dozen links to surprises on YouTube and elsewhere!

Don’t forget to click on the picture at the bottom to see Abby and the kids of Life Church singing “The Little Drummer Boy”! Click here for the page to see all other links for The Little Drummer Boy float that Life Church set up for the St. Charles Christmas Parade!

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Abby, ACTION-ADVENTURE, CARTOON/COMIC, Children's, Christian, FANTASY, Holiday, MUSIC/MUSICAL, SCIENCE FICTION, SUPERHERO, SUPERNATURAL, TELEVISION/TV SERIES No Comments